
Your home is your personal refuge, and a place where you should feel safe and at ease. It’s a sanctuary where you store your most precious belongings, and where your family sleeps and lives.
As such, the thought of your home burning to the ground can keep you up at night. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and we can easily find ourselves filing an insurance claim for our damaged property despite our best efforts to avoid accidents like fires.
However, while we can’t always prevent the worst from happening, we can reduce their chances of happening by taking the right measures.
Here are some essential tips that can significantly reduce the risk of a fire in your home and keep your belongings and loved ones safe.
Install Detectors
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors should be your first source of defense against fires. Installing smoke alarms throughout your house including your bedrooms and hallways will ensure you’re alerted right away in case there’s smoke. In addition to smoke detectors, you should also install carbon monoxide detectors in case of harmful gas leaks. Lastly, make sure that you check the batteries on all of these devices regularly so that you can ensure they’re in working order.
Practice Kitchen Safety
As much as we see the kitchen as a happy place where we enjoy making our favorite recipes and enjoying delicious meals with our loved ones, it can also be a dangerous place. Over 60% of fires in the home are caused as a result of unsafe cooking practices. Never ever leave your cooking unattended, particularly if you’re cooking on high heat.
This is especially important if you have a gas stove. Use timers or other reminders so that you know how much cooking time remains, and always check your cooking meals regularly. Lastly, always keep a cooking lid nearby to smother grease fires, since you should never try to extinguish one with water.
Develop a Plan
One of the most effective ways to defend yourself against fires is knowing exactly what to do should one break out. Make sure that everyone in your household is well-versed on what steps to take and when to take them. The more you can rehearse your fire escape plan, the better prepared you’ll be in the event the fire breaks out.
Practice the fire drill with your family regularly, and make changes as needed. Even though it may seem silly to practice fire drills with your family, preparedness is one of the best defenses you can have ensuring everyone gets out safe from a house in flames.
By following these essential preventative measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of fires in your house. A little preparedness with a little common sense goes a long way in life, particularly when it comes to preventing disasters.